I Knew Her Well – The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy/France/West Germany, 1965
Director: Antonio Pietrangeli
Writers: Antonio Pietrangeli, Ruggero Maccari, Ettore Scola
Cast: Stefania Sandrelli, Mario Adorf, Jean-Claude Brialy, Joachim Fuchsberger, Nino Manfredi, Enrico Maria Salerno, Ugo Tognazzi, Karin Dor, Franco Fabrizi, Turi Ferro, Robert Hoffmann, Franco Nero, Véronique Vendell

Release Date: February 23rd, 2016
Approximate Running Time: 115 Minutes 36 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVCC
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $39.95

"Following the gorgeous, seemingly liberated Adriana (Divorce Italian Style’s Stefania Sandrelli) as she chases her dreams in the Rome of La dolce vita, I Knew Her Well is at once a delightful immersion in the popular music and style of Italy in the sixties and a biting critique of its sexual politics and the culture of celebrity. Over a series of intimate episodes, just about every one featuring a different man, a new hairstyle, and an outfit to match, the unsung Italian master Antonio Pietrangeli, working from a script he cowrote with Ettore Scola, composes a deft, seriocomic character study that never strays from its complicated central figure." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 5/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "This new 4K digital restoration was created in partnership with the Cineteca di Bologna from the 35mm original camera negative and a 35mm fine-grain positive. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from the soundtrack negative. Clicks, thumps, hiss, hum, and crackle were manually removed using Pro Tools HD and iZotope RX4."

I Knew Her Well comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.3 GB

Feature: 31.5 GB

The source looks excellent; image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 5/5

This release comes with one audio option, an LPCM mono mix in Italian with removable English subtitles. The audio sounds excellent; dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise ambient sounds are well-presented.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital mono with text in Italian and non-removable English subtitles), Stefania Sandrelli’s audition (5 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with actress Stefania Sandrelli (9 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), an interview with film scholar Luca Barattoni, who discusses the career of director Antonio Pietrangeli (21 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English with removable English subtitles for Italian film clips), and a 12-page leaflet with an essay titled City Gril written by Alexander Stille and information about the transfer.

Summary:

Antonio Pietrangeli directed I Knew Her Well. He’s known for The Bachelor, Adua and Her Friends, Ghosts of Rome, The Girl from Parma, The Visit, and The Magnificent Cuckold.

A naive country girl becomes jaded after moving to Rome to become a movie star.

I Knew Her Well offers a damning critique of the film industry by examining how it exploits women, specifically targeting their vulnerabilities. Other themes explored are existential emptiness, gender dynamics, and celebrity culture. The narrative presents different aspects of Adrianna's personality, but it only reveals her surface-level traits and fails to provide her with an inner voice. That said, the film's title, I Knew Her Well, is ultimately ironic since none of the characters who interact or anyone who watches the film ever gets to really know her.

The narrative revolves around a young woman named Adriana and a series of encounters she has with men who exploit her and treat her like a disposable object. While Adriana is a seemingly happy person who is full of life, she’s empty inside, craving a real emotional connection. After experiencing a series of humiliations, Adrianna ultimately concludes that ending her life is the only logical option for her.

The events that unfold are better described as a series of vignettes. The narrative is perfectly executed, giving key moments time to resonate, and it's always engaging as it builds to its jarring, soul-crushing finale that stays with you. Another area where the narrative excels is its pacing. From the moment we first see Adrianna sunbathing on the beach, through to her death, her transformation is dramatic.

The heart and soul of I Knew Her Well is Stefania Sandrelli’s (The Conformist) extraordinary portrayal of Adrianna. She was only 19 years old at the time, and she delivers a performance that shows depth beyond someone who has twice her life experience. When it comes to the rest of the performances, they all rise to the occasion. Rounding the cast are several recognizable faces portraying the men in Adrianna’s life, like Mario Adorf (The Tin Drum), Jean-Claude Brialy (The Bride Wore Black), Enrico Maria Salerno (The Bird with the Crystal Plumage), Ugo Tognazzi (The Ape Woman), Robert Hoffmann (Spasmo), and Franco Nero (Django).

While Antonio Pietrangeli had firmly established himself as one of the prominent directors working in Italian cinema during the 1960s, I Knew Her Well was a significant leap beyond the films he made before it. His instincts throughout I Knew Her Well are flawless. Although there are many visually striking moments in I Knew Her Well, the visuals still never overshadow the performances. The use of Italian pop songs instead of a traditional score is an inspired choice that greatly enhances the mood. Ultimately, I Knew Her Well is an exceptional film that explores the darker sides of humanity and the pitfalls of fame.

I Knew Her Well gets an exceptional release from The Criterion Collection that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras. Highly recommended.

 

Written by Michael Den Boer